Method and apparatus for near-net-shape production of spray-formed parts

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a part by spray forming, comprising: spraying a soft magnetic composite material from a nozzle into a mold; and adjusting the position of the mold relative to the position of the nozzle to control deposition of the soft magnetic composite material into the mold. The adjusting is performed by mounting the mold on a stage such that the mold is movable relative to the nozzle and such that the spraying is controlled to provide deposition of the soft magnetic composite material such that a near-net-shape part is formed.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 447,960, filed February 24, 2023, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Background

[0002] [Technical field] Exemplary, non-limiting embodiments relate generally to processes for spray forming soft magnetic materials and spray-formed parts formed by spray deposition of soft magnetic composite materials.

[0003] [Brief Description of the Prior Art] There is a prior invention that produces soft magnetic composite materials by spray deposition of powder particles.

[0004] The following summary is exemplary only and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0005] According to one aspect, a method for producing a part by spray forming includes: spraying the soft magnetic composite material from a nozzle into a mold; adjusting the position of the mold relative to the position of the nozzle to control deposition of the soft magnetic composite material into the mold; The adjusting is performed by mounting the mold on a stage such that the mold is movable relative to the nozzle and such that the spraying is controlled to provide a deposition of the soft magnetic composite material such that a near-net-shape part is formed.

[0006] According to another aspect, a method for producing a part to near net shape by spray forming includes: Providing a system for spraying a soft magnetic material, the system having a nozzle; providing a mold to receive the sprayed soft magnetic material; spraying the soft magnetic composite material from the nozzle onto a beam spot within the mold; adjusting a position of the mold relative to the nozzle to control deposition of the composite material at the beam spot to form the part in near-net shape; removing the part from the mold; Includes:

[0007] According to another aspect, a system for manufacturing a part includes: At least one spray gun; a stage mounted proximate to the at least one spray gun; a mold attached to the stage; the mold is movable relative to the at least one spray gun and configured to receive a spray of powdered material from the at least one spray gun into the mold to deposit a layer of material to form the part to a near-net shape.

[0008] According to another aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one non-volatile memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: spraying the soft magnetic composite material from a nozzle into a mold; adjusting the position of the mold relative to the position of the nozzle to control deposition of the soft magnetic composite material into the mold; The adjusting is performed by mounting the mold on a stage such that the mold is movable relative to the nozzle and the spraying is controlled to provide a deposition of the soft magnetic composite material such that a near-net-shape part is formed.

[0009] In another aspect, the motor component comprises a disk formed by spray forming, the disk having a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface, an edge between the first surface and the second surface, and a hole having a defined surface extending from the first surface to the second surface, the disk being formed in a near-net manufacturing process. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] These and other features are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] [Figure 0] 1A and 1B are side and perspective views of an example spray-formed part having a geometry that includes tapered edges.

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of an apparatus used to spray form near-net-shape parts.

[0013] [Figure 2] 2A-2C are top views of the injector of FIG. 1 in various states;

[0014] [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a multiple station configuration for spray forming.

[0015] [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a disk-shaped part formed by spray forming.

[0016] [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the disk arrangement showing the orientation of the disk mold assembly and spray gun.

[0017] [Figure 6] 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a desirable change in the angle of incidence of a particle beam relative to a mold.

[0018] [Figure 7] 1 shows a graphical representation of build plate rotation direction and movement speed.

[0019] [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the shape and placement of the air knife relative to the build plate.

[0020] [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a part formed by spray forming with a rounded or beveled edge.

[0021] [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a process flow diagram of an example mold filling and removal process.

[0022] [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a disk-shaped part having a void in the center.

[0023] [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a mold assembly including a center mold portion.

[0024] [Figure 13] 1 is a schematic diagram of the angle of incidence of a particle beam at various points.

[0025] [Figure 14] FIG. 1 is a process flow diagram illustrating an example of a filling and unfilling process for a cylindrical near-net-shape part.

[0026] [Figure 15] 1A and 1B are perspective views of exemplary geometries of stepped edge disks having stepped center holes.

[0027] [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a process diagram illustrating an example of a deposition process and near net shape part removal for a stepped feature disk part with a stepped center hole.

[0028] [Figure 17] 1 illustrates an exemplary geometry of a rectangular part and its tapered edges.

[0029] [Figure 18] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rectangular mold assembly having a multi-piece mold wall.

[0030] [Figure 19] 10A-10C are perspective views of the process of removing the mold walls after filling the mold cavity. Detailed explanation

[0031] Disclosed herein are techniques and apparatus for spray deposition of magnetically isotropic soft magnetic composite materials and for producing near-net-shape components. These composites have a dense matrix with multiple ferromagnetic domains separated by electrically insulating boundaries. Such soft magnetic composites can be used to manufacture electric motors that utilize three-dimensional magnetic flux flow, known as hybrid field motors. The term "near-net" means that only the spray surface is post-processed. The surface defined by the mold walls and build plate does not require post-processing. The amount of material removed by post-processing is approximately 1 millimeter (mm) or less. The material removal rate is lower for thicker parts. Manufacturing stators and stator components of various shapes near-net-shape eliminates the need for expensive, complex, and time-consuming post-processing. Various materials and methods for manufacturing such motors are described, for example, in U.S. Patents 10,622,848, 10,170,946, and 9,887,598, as well as U.S. Patent Publication No. 2016 / 0197523. The disclosures of these documents are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. With regard to spray forming, U.S. Patent No. 9,205,488 discloses soft magnetic materials produced by a spray forming process, and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013 / 0000860 describes a spray forming process based on layered particle deposition, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0032] Spray forming (also known as spray deposition) is a process for producing soft magnetic composites by depositing particles onto a substrate plate at high temperatures and high velocities. When spray forming is performed directly on a build plate 10, the deposited material 14 forms a material geometry with tapered edges 12, as shown in Figures 0A and 0B, which may require post-processing to achieve the final desired geometry. To avoid costly and time-consuming post-processing, it is desirable to produce the desired shape near net shape. Examples of desired shapes include, but are not limited to, rings and rectangular parts.

[0033] The embodiment described here uses a mold to produce spray-formed parts in near-net shape. To produce such parts, 1) The spray-deposited material completely fills the mold cavity. 100% filling of the mold cavity (no voids) is desired. 2) The mold design should have at least one open surface through which material can be spray deposited. 3) After deposition, the filled material can be removed in a manner that allows the mold to be removed from the mold in a reusable state.

[0034] The following aspects of near-net-shape forming using molds are then explained: (a) Mold geometry design; (b) Selection of mold material; (c) Deposition of material into the mold cavity; (d) Methods of removal from the mold, separation, and recycling.

[0035] The embodiments described herein actually involve the deposition of a powder having a core-shell structure using a High Velocity Air Fuel (HVAF) thermal spray gun. Such powder may be, for example, iron or a mild iron alloy (such as an iron-based alloy, an iron-cobalt alloy, a nickel-iron alloy, a silicon-iron alloy, an iron-aluminide, a ferritic stainless steel, or a similar alloy), coated with an electrically insulating material (preferably at least one ceramic-based material, such as alumina, magnesia, zirconia, or the like). The methods described herein are also applicable to other types of powders and can be used in combination with other types of delivery systems. The deposition process includes: (a) Repeated scanning of the particle beam incident point on the deposit, also called a spray pass. (b) Variation of the particle beam tilt angle relative to the deposit. (c) Measuring and monitoring deposit thickness.

[0036] Referring to FIG. 1 , an example of an apparatus for depositing such materials is shown at 100, hereafter referred to as the "spray apparatus 100." The spray apparatus 100 is used to create axisymmetric near-net-shape parts. The spray apparatus 100 includes a spray gun 101 with a nozzle, a build plate to which a mold 102 is attached, and a cooling device 103. The build plate and mold 102 are mounted on a stage 111 and are rotatable about a rotation axis Φ. At least one of the spray gun 101 and the mold 102 is movable about three independent axes. The spray gun 101 deposits metal powder onto the mold 102. The cooling device 103 is located in a fixed position relative to the mold 102. The mold 102 is moved by driving an X-slide 105 using an X-direction motor 107 while simultaneously rotating the mold 102 about the rotation axis Φ using a motor 110. A solid material is formed by repeatedly spraying material from the spray gun 101 until the desired thickness is reached. After each pass, the Y-direction motor 108 drives the mold 102 to move in the Y-direction on the Y-slide 104, maintaining a constant distance from the spray gun 101 to the interface of the deposited material. To spray the corners of the mold cavity, the θ-axis can be rotated by the θ-direction motor 109. During the deposition process, the positions of the X-stage and Y-stage are adjusted so that the point of incidence of the particle beam coincides with the axis of rotation (θ-axis) on the part surface.

[0037] The movement and position of the spray gun 101 and / or mold 102 may be controlled by a controller having at least one processor and at least one non-volatile memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause operations that result in movement of the spray gun 101 and / or mold 102. Movement of either the spray gun 101 or the mold 102, or both, may be accomplished by controlled operation of a motor. The cooling device 103 may also be controlled using the processor, memory, and instructions.

[0038] Figures 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D show top views of the spraying apparatus 100 at different θ positions. The particle beam's point of incidence on the part surface is on the rotation axis of the θ stage. To fill corners without creating voids, the build plate and mold 102 rotate about the θ axis, as shown in Figure 2B. By moving the X position, as shown in Figure 2C, new positions of the mold 102 are continually exposed to the particle beam. If the mold corners are not being filled, the θ rotation is set to 0 degrees (perpendicular to the spray path) to maximize material adhesion. Throughout the spraying operation, the build plate rotates about the Φ axis (110) to maintain a uniform, axisymmetric shape. This rotation also ensures cooling uniformity using the air cooling fixture 103, whose position remains constant regardless of X, Y, or θ rotation. The thickness of the deposited material can be measured with a distance sensor 201, which is zeroed on the build plate surface. The Y slide plate 104 is moved until the build plate and mold 102 are facing the distance sensor. (It is set at 90 degrees as shown.) After measuring the thickness, the device returns to the initial position as shown in FIG. 2A for the subsequent material deposition process.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 3, a multi-station configuration is shown. A single spray gun 101 can produce multiple near-net-shape parts using parallel stations. A first station 301 is arranged in parallel with a second station 302. The number of stations can be increased to three or more. The spray gun 101 moves from station 301 to station 302, sequentially filling the mold 102. A computer-based control monitors and adjusts the temperature, material thickness, motion trajectory, and running conditions to ensure repeatability and quality metrics. The computer-based control, shown at 304, can include at least one processor and at least one non-volatile memory. The memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, perform the spray and movement operations. The movement operations can be performed by controlling a motor M.

[0040] Alternatively, the mold 102 can rotate about a fixed axis and the spray gun 101 can move to achieve the desired spray beam movement and tilt. One example is to mount the spray gun 101 on a multi-axis robot. This robot can simultaneously scan and tilt, and also move toward or away from the mold 102. In a multi-station configuration, the robot can also move between stations.

[0041] The method for forming near net shape parts also involves mold design and mold filling, which are also described below. Figures 4, 11, 15, 17A, and 17B show examples of final near net shape parts using the methods described herein. [Mold design]

[0042] Mold design includes designing the mold geometry, selecting the mold material, and selecting the optimum mold surface characteristics. (a) Mold Geometry: A mold is an assembly consisting of two basic elements: a mold base plate and mold sidewall components. The base plate interfaces with the particles delivered from the spray deposition system. The mold sidewalls define the contours of the desired shape. For example, to produce a cylindrical ring-shaped part, a mold consisting of a mold base plate and an outer wall may be used. In some embodiments, an internal plug may be used (see Figures 12, 13, 14, and 16). The volume enclosed by the outer wall, inner wall, and mold base plate surfaces represents the mold volume to be filled. The wedging action of the high-velocity impacting particles creates compressive stresses in the spray-formed material. These compressive stresses generate positive contact pressures on the mold walls. If the mold walls are made of a low-strength material, such as aluminum, they must be thick enough to withstand the compressive stresses. (b) Mold Surface Characteristics: To achieve 100% filling of the mold volume, mold surfaces must meet two requirements. (i) The mating surfaces must be highly flat to avoid gaps between the surfaces. Gaps between the mating surfaces due to surface roughness, impurities, or scratches can create voids in the mold filling space. (ii) The second requirement is to avoid rounded or chamfered edges. The incident particle beam cannot reach the space under rounded or beveled areas, causing voids. Generally, mold surfaces that come into contact with each other are machined to a surface flatness of 0.005 inches (in.) or better. During mold manufacturing, processing methods are employed to avoid rounded or chamfered edges. Mold surfaces may be grit-blasted. The desired adhesion strength between the material and the mold surface can be achieved by grit-blasting. (c) Mold Material: The material selection for the build plate and sidewalls is based on several criteria. The mold material is selected as follows: the build plate components are low carbon steel and the mold exterior is aluminum. The low carbon steel material is selected due to the limited bond strength between the deposit and the steel. Build plate: One of the factors in selecting a material for the build plate is the adhesive strength between the build plate and the deposit. A low adhesive strength is desirable to facilitate easy release after deposition. For this reason, build plates are made of high-strength steel. On the other hand, if the adhesive strength is too low, premature delamination occurs. Adhesion strength is proportional to the degree to which high-velocity particles penetrate into the mold surface under high pressure and the temperature of the particles. To limit penetration, the surface of the build plate that comes into direct contact with the particles is made of a high-strength material such as steel. On the other hand, grit-blasting the build plate to increase the surface roughness improves adhesive strength. Mold walls: In contrast to the build plate, the impacting particles hit the mold wall at a shallow angle (Figure 6) and do not have enough momentum to penetrate the wall surface. Therefore, the mold walls can be made of a low-strength material, such as aluminum, without the risk of particles penetrating the mold. The advantage of using aluminum is the large difference in thermal expansion coefficient between aluminum and the spray material. One method of mold wall release is to use the difference in thermal expansion coefficient to reduce the contact pressure between the mold wall and the sprayed material. For this reason, the mold wall material must have a higher thermal expansion coefficient than the sprayed material. Aluminum has a higher thermal expansion coefficient than iron-based materials, making it ideal as a mold wall material. [Axisymmetric Near Net Shape Disc] [Deposition in the mold]

[0043] The following provides an overview of the near-net-shape deposition of a disk-shaped part 400 formed by spray forming. Figure 4 shows the geometry of the disk part in detail. The disk part has an upper surface and an opposite lower surface. The upper surface is 401 and the lower surface is 403, with a vertical wall 402 defining a cylindrical outer diameter. The upper and lower surfaces 401, 403 are substantially flat and parallel. Other part shapes are possible.

[0044] In another example, a component formed by spray forming may be a motor yoke or stator. As described herein, such a stator includes coils and stator teeth, as well as a backing ring or yoke. The stator teeth are made of, for example, an isotropic soft magnetic composite material. A bearing sleeve extends within the housing. Removable and replaceable motor bearings are housed within the bearing sleeve, facilitating motor maintenance. In particular, radial and thrust bearings are attached to the bearing sleeve. This facilitates rotation of the rotor relative to the stator. The housing also defines space for interconnecting wires. The coils are pre-formed copper wires pressed to maximize copper density. Each coil is then fitted onto a stator tooth before being connected to the other coils.

[0045] Disk-shaped part 400 or spray-formed disk 450 cannot be produced by spraying directly onto the build plate surface. Deposited material forms a beveled edge whenever deposition stops. Examples of beveled edges formed on a build plate are shown in Figures 0A and 0B.

[0046] To produce a disk shape, a mold consisting of a build plate and outer wall is assembled into a rotating fixture. A powder spray is directed at the open face of the mold. The movement of at least the spray gun 101 and the mold can be controlled using a controller having at least one processor and non-volatile memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, control the operation of the spray gun 101 and the movement (and cooling) of the mold. A schematic diagram of the disk setup is shown in Figure 5.

[0047] As shown in Figure 5, an example mold 102 has a build plate 501 and an outer mold wall 502. A powder spray beam from a spray gun 101 deposits material into the mold cavity. To achieve complete filling, a variable trajectory is used, as shown in Figure 6.

[0048] The mold assembly, or mold 102, is comprised of multiple components. A near-net-shape disc mold uses two components. The first component, the build plate 501, is made of low-carbon steel and is fastened to an aluminum mold wall component (see Figure 5). In one example, these two components are fastened together with two or more bolts and nuts evenly spaced axially. These bolts and nuts provide a uniform clamping force around the mold wall. The torque of each fastener is set to approximately 30 lb-ft (pound-feet). The aluminum mold wall is thick enough to prevent material deformation when compressive stresses from spray forming act on the mold wall.

[0049] Prior to assembly of the mold assembly, the parts are abrasive blasted while clamped, using, for example, aluminum oxide abrasive with a mesh size of 40-140, to aid in adhesion. The mold part material is selected to allow for removal of the parts from the mold 102, as described in more detail in the "Removal from the Mold" section.

[0050] The choice of steel material for the build plate components can pose adhesion challenges. To overcome low bond strength between the steel build plate and the deposit, the first layer can be deposited without cooling to improve adhesion. Up to 10 no-cool bond passes can be used, with five being the most common. Following the no-cool bond passes, a series of passes with a tapered temperature profile may be deposited to deposit material until a continuous process setpoint is reached. In this example, a standard temperature control scheme drives the process as the temperature tapers down to approximately 190°C.

[0051] Referring to FIG. 6, the operation sequence for producing the disk-shaped part 400 may be divided into two components: (1) operation of the spray gun 101 and (2) operation of the mold 102. The operation of the spray gun 101 may employ a six-axis robot controlled by a controller including at least one processor and at least one non-volatile memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the robot to operate. The robot moves in a linear path parallel to the build plate 501, allowing for a variable spray angle relative to the build plate 501, for example, up to 45 degrees. The angle can be set to any orientation relative to the build plate 501, with 0 degrees being a spray perpendicular to the build plate 501. The movement of the mold 102 can also be controlled by the controller, for example, by controlling and operating a motor. The spray angles used for vertical walls are shown in FIG. 6.

[0052] As shown in Figure 6, the desired variation in the particle beam angle relative to the mold 102 is illustrated to fill the interior corners of the mold 102. The spray deposition process utilizes precise control of the particle beam's point of incidence ("beam spot position") and the beam's orientation relative to the mold ("beam orientation"). Precise control of the beam spot position and beam direction can be achieved by mounting the spray gun 101 on a servo-controlled six-axis robotic arm, or by fixing the spray gun's position and moving / rotating the mold assembly as described for the apparatus 100 in Figure 1. Additionally, the mold 102 can be mounted on a rotating platform. The beam orientation / angle is 2-20 degrees (typically 5-10 degrees) near the mold wall and 0 degrees in areas away from the mold wall. When fabricating axisymmetric parts (e.g., parts with cylindrical surfaces), the mold 102 is mounted on a platform that rotates about the axis of symmetry, and the beam spot is moved along a linear radial or near-radial path.

[0053] For walls parallel to the path of travel of the spray gun 101, an angle of 5 to 10 degrees may be used. This angle helps reduce robot or mold travel distance and also provides the best adhesion of the sprayed material to the build plate. This adhesion is greatest at a spray angle of 0 degrees. When spraying into a joint formed between two or more walls, the spray gun 101 is controlled to spray the soft magnetic composite material to form a joint radius smaller than the size of an individual particle of the soft magnetic composite material. The spray gun 101 (and other spray devices disclosed herein) can be controlled by a controller having at least one processor and at least one non-volatile memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the device to perform various operations.

[0054] For circular parts with axisymmetrical symmetry, such as disks, the mold assembly or mold 102 rotates continuously about the axis of symmetry. The robot synchronously moves the spray gun 101 in a linear path to completely deposit material within the mold cavity. The rotational and linear rotational speeds of the mold assembly or mold 102 are coupled so that the beam spot velocity is fixed relative to the build plate surface, e.g., 600 mm / s (millimeters per second). Additionally or alternatively, the mold 102 may be moved independently or synchronously with the spray gun 101, such as the spray device 100.

[0055] Figure 7 shows the build plate rotation direction and translation speeds used. To optimize the temperature of the deposit, the beam spot speed can be varied by ±50% during the filling operation. Figure 7 shows an example of the relative scan speed of the particle beam point of incidence and the mold center to produce the disk-shaped part 1100 shown in Figure 11. In this example, the disk is rotating at 300 rpm (revolutions per minute), and the desired relative surface speed is 600 mm / s.

[0056] In either embodiment, the temperature of the deposition material can be controlled using a computer algorithm that initiates each deposition pass when a predetermined temperature is reached. For example, a non-contact infrared thermometer can be used to measure the temperature. To maintain a constant mold temperature throughout the deposition process, the mold assembly or mold 102 can be preheated to, for example, 300-325°C before the start of the deposition operation. High-velocity combustion gases from a nozzle can be used as a heat source. The heat input rate can be adjusted by adjusting the distance between the nozzle and the mold surface. During the material deposition process, the temperature can continuously increase due to hot particles added to the material and the combustion reaction flame located directly above the mold assembly during deposition. Each deposition pass begins when the mold assembly has cooled to, for example, 190°C to ensure pass-to-pass uniformity. To control the maximum temperature of the mold assembly or mold 102, the robot movement speed can be adjusted to control the deposition time for each pass. The maximum temperature setpoint can be set to, for example, 350-400°C.

[0057] There are several processes for cooling the mold assembly and deposit. Two of these processes are described below. The first process uses compressed air supplied by the spray gun 101 to cool the mold assembly. The spray controller stops the powder flow and shuts off the fuel source. The compressed air source remains on, and the robot moves the spray gun 101 along the same motion path to cool the assembly. However, this approach can add significant time to the completed part. The second process uses a secondary cooling source. A compressed air jet, either from a point source or a linear air knife edge, is directed at the mold assembly. The amount of cooling can be controlled by adjusting the opening cross-sectional area, the air supply pressure, and the distance between the air jet and the mold assembly. There are many effective cooling configurations. As an example, the following settings are used: 40 psi (pounds per square inch) suction pressure, a 10 ft x 0.5 inch hose, and a 3 inch air knife with a 0.006 inch opening, positioned 0.5 inches below the mold centerline and approximately 2 inches from the build plate face. The geometry and placement relative to the build plate is shown in Figure 8.

[0058] FIG. 8 illustrates air knife cooling of the deposit and build plate 501. This diagram shows the location of the air knife 800 used to cool the deposit, indicated at 802. During the spray forming process, the temperature of the mold assembly or mold 102 and deposit increases to 450°C. As the temperature increases, the aluminum mold walls 502 tend to expand more than the deposit. To prevent the material from separating from the mold 102 during the deposition process, it is desirable to maintain a positive surface contact pressure on the mold walls 502. To ensure sufficient contact pressure, the mold 102 is preheated before starting material deposition. Additionally, the mold walls 502 are bolted to the build plate 501 with sufficient clamping force.

[0059] Squareness of the edges and mating surfaces is important to achieve near-net-shape parts without missing material or voids. The mating surfaces connecting the build plate and outer mold wall must be less than 0.005 inches flat. Surface roughness or imperfections can create areas where the two surfaces do not meet, potentially leading to void formation. The mating surfaces must remain smooth (less than 0.005 inches roughness) even after grit blasting. Therefore, it is recommended that the mold assembly be clamped prior to any process. In addition to flatness, edges between parts of the mold assembly should be sharp. Rounded or beveled edges create spaces below the mold that are inaccessible during the deposition process. If rounded or beveled areas are present, the material may not be able to properly fill the spaces. This can result in voids that the spray material cannot fill.

[0060] Figure 9 shows an example of rounded or beveled edges that can cause voids. As shown, the outer mold wall 502 depicts sharp edges and an ideal interface, favoring a near-net shape without voids. The center mold part 503, not used for the disk part, shows a radius 505, which can lead to imperfections in the spray-formed material during material deposition. When rounded or beveled edges are present, voids can occur in the material. Broken corners or edges can also cause voids. Square or sharp edges are used to achieve the desired spray-formed part. The exact radius that is acceptable is unknown.

[0061] The thickness of the deposition can be controlled in two different ways. First, a sacrificial material can be jetted to calibrate the deposition rate or material growth per pass. From the deposition rate, the number of passes required can be calculated. Second, a distance or displacement sensor is used that is zeroed on the build plate surface before deposition and the total deposition thickness is measured periodically. [Removal from mold]

[0062] Referring now to FIG. 10, once material deposition is complete in a multi-pass operation using the trajectory shown in FIG. 6, the material is removed from the mold 102. Prior to deposition, the mold assembly, consisting of the build plate 501 and mold walls 502, is preheated to promote material adhesion and prevent thermal shock. Once the desired part thickness is achieved, the mold walls 502 and build plate 501 are removed from the spray apparatus 100. The build plate 501 is separated from the mold walls 502. The part is heated and ejected from inside the mold walls 502. Due to the difference in thermal expansion rates of the two materials, the mold walls 502 expand more than the part due to the heat. After heating, the part can be removed from the mold 102.

[0063] Once material deposition into the mold formed by the build plate and mold walls is complete, the dense particle packing places the material in compression, while the build plate is in tension. Removal of the mold assembly fixture (502) relieves the build plate's stress, allowing it to peel away from the material still compressed by the mold walls. To aid in the removal of the build plate components from the mold assembly, a small mechanical force may be applied between the interface of the build plate 501 and the mold walls 502. Another requirement for this process to work is that the adhesive forces holding the deposit to the build plate 501 are weaker than the strength of the deposit. If this condition is not met, separation will occur within the deposit, rather than at the interface between the deposit and the build plate.

[0064] When the build plate 501 is removed, the mold wall 502 separates from the spray-formed material. When material is deposited by thermal spraying, the dense particle packing during deposition creates compressive stress in the material. This stress holds the material tightly within the aluminum mold. While it may be possible to apply a large force to remove the deposited material from the mold 102 using a press, this may cause the material to fracture before the part leaves the mold 102.

[0065] Instead, the difference in the thermal expansion coefficients between the material of the mold wall 502 and the material of the deposit can be utilized. Aluminum is a common choice for the mold wall 502, as its thermal expansion coefficient is approximately twice that of the material of the deposit (23.3 μm / mC vs. 12.0 μm / mC, respectively). When the mold wall 502 and deposit are heated to 600° C., the aluminum expands more than the deposit. While the mold 102 is expanding, the disk-shaped deposit (e.g., disk-shaped portion 400) can be directly removed with little force, as shown in FIG. 10.

[0066] By tightly tolerancing the mold dimensions, near-net-shape dimensional tolerances of 0.005 inches or less can be achieved. Even lower dimensional tolerances can be achieved by making the mold 102 smaller to account for expansion that occurs as the mold temperature increases during the deposition process. Because the core-shell material releases from the mold surface with little or no residual deposit, the mold 102 can be used repeatedly to produce identically shaped parts. [Axisymmetric near-net-shape disk with a central hole]

[0067] An extension of the near-net disk shape is the same cylindrical shape, but incorporating a cylindrical void or an angular ring. FIG. 11 shows a preferred shape for a spray-formed component 1100, such as a motor component, having a ring-shaped void. The spray-formed motor component 1100 is a spray-formed disk having a first surface 452, an opposing second surface 454, and a hole 456 located in the center of the disk and extending through the disk from the first surface 452 to the opposing second surface 454. Motor components, such as the spray-formed disk motor component 1100, can be formed to a near-net shape.

[0068] Referring to FIG. 12 , the mold assembly or mold 1102 is similar to the mold 102 for the disk-shaped part 400 described above, except that an additional component in the form of a plug or center mask 1103 is secured to the build plate 1105. The mold build plate 1105, mold walls 1106, and mold center plug 1103 are separate components and may be made of different materials. A typical material for the build plate is low-carbon steel, while the mold components (e.g., mold walls 1106) are aluminum. The mold walls 1106 are secured to the build plate 1105 by fixtures 1108. To ensure proper tolerances, alignment fixtures or index pins can be used when assembling the mold walls 1106 to the build plate 1105. As previously described, the mold assembly is secured prior to grit blasting the surface. Additionally, all previous details regarding the flatness and edge sharpness of the center mask 1103 are adhered to.

[0069] Referring to Figure 13, in one example method of forming part 1100, a trajectory change is made to the spray gun path. The addition of mold center mask 1103 creates an additional angle transition at the wall of center mask 1103. The minimum distance between the mold outer wall and the mold center plug wall is defined by the spray beam spot size and the mold height. This distance is greater than the spot size plus the tangent of the spray angle times the height. The rest of the spray operation is performed in the same way as for disk-shaped parts.

[0070] Still referring to FIG. 13, the desired values ​​of the particle beam incidence angle at several particle beam incidence points are shown to adequately fill the interior corners of the mold 1102 with the center mask 1103. This is an extension of the splay angle described with respect to the previous embodiment. The vertical walls of the plug (center mask 1103) are subjected to the same or similar procedure as the interior surface of the mold wall 1106. The splay starts at a negative angle at the mold wall 1106, transitions to a 0 degree angle when depositing directly onto the build plate 1105, and then transitions to a positive angle when splaying along the wall of the center mask 1103.

[0071] The mold removal process is similar to that for disks without the center mask 1103, with the following process modifications: After removing the steel build plate 1105, the center mask 1103 is then removed. The removal process also takes advantage of the difference in thermal expansion coefficients. The material of the center mask 1103 is aluminum. To remove the center mask 1103, the mold and deposition assembly are heated to 600°C. The heated assembly is removed, and the center mask 1103 is selectively cooled. Cooling can be achieved using ice, dry ice, liquid nitrogen, or other target-selective cooling devices. Multiple temperature cycles may be used because the center mask 1103 conducts heat from the spray material. Once the entire center mask 1103 is free from the deposition spray, removal requires little force.

[0072] A process flow diagram is shown in Figure 14, illustrating the mold filling and removal process for a cylindrical near-net-shape part, such as part 1100. This diagram is similar to Figure 10, but depicts a disk-shaped mold incorporating a central void for the near-net-shape part. An additional step for removing the center mask 1103, which creates the material void, is also outlined. The filling operation is performed similarly to Figure 10, following the procedure shown in Figure 13. A combination of heating and cooling is used to remove the center mask 1103. The entire sample is heated to expand the part, and then selective cooling is applied to the center mask 1103 to reduce its dimensions. As the center mask 1103 shrinks, a force can be applied to push the center mask 1103 out of the mold center. Other operations are performed similarly to the procedure shown in Figure 10. [Axisymmetric near net edge stepped disk with stepped central hole]

[0073] Referring to Figure 15, a near-net-shape part 1500 with two different diameters is illustrated. The shape is similar to part 1100 with a central void. In particular, a stepped edge disk with a stepped center hole 1502 is shown.

[0074] Referring to Figure 16, the deposition and mold removal process for a stepped part 1500 is shown. This process consists of two phases. The near-net part 1500 is more complex than the parts previously described. The part 1500 has multiple inner and outer diameters depending on the part height. For complex part geometries, a multi-step process using a set of molds is employed. This is a desirable feature for parts with surfaces that change from parallel to perpendicular to the particle beam direction of incidence. The multi-step process for part 1500 ensures that deposition always begins with the first deposition plate. When spray-forming parts using molds, a continuous solid is desirable. Voids and discontinuities in the deposit can cause degradation of material performance.

[0075] In manufacturing part 1500, the initial deposition process is similar to the previously described disk with a hole in the center. A mold assembly, or mold 1506, includes a build plate 1508, mold walls 1510, and a center plug 1509. However, in the example of manufacturing part 1500, a mask 1504, with the same dimensions as the mold walls 1510 and center plug 1509, is placed on top of the mold walls 1510 and center plug 1509. FIG. 16 shows the mold 1506 and mask 1504 in the first row of the process flow diagram. Previously, the mold height did not matter as long as it was greater than the height of the final part. However, with a stepped mold, the height of the first layer mold must be the same as the target height of the part features. The material deposition process fills the mold cavity until the material reaches the top of the mold, but remains below the mask 1504. Mask 1504 represents the mask used in step 1 of the flow diagram in FIG. 16. The mask 1504 may be a metal sheet such as aluminum. The mask 1504 protects the surface of the mold wall 1510 that faces the spray gun so that a second mask 1520 can be attached.

[0076] Once the material has filled the cavities, the mask 1504 part is removed from the mold 1506 and a second mask 1520 with a stepped, larger diameter is installed. The material fills the smallest diameter first and then the larger diameters to ensure continuity. After installing the second mask 1520, the same filling procedure can be applied by aligning the spray path trajectory to the larger diameter.

[0077] The fabrication of this part involves stopping mid-deposition to replace a mold part. After the mold part is replaced, the mold material is grit blasted. Furthermore, when the material deposition process is restarted, the mold 1506 is reheated and deposition resumed using the same procedure as the initial deposition, except that no adhesive pass is used for the restarted spray forming.

[0078] The mold removal procedure is nearly identical to that of the centrally perforated disk. The main difference is that the mold material is directional and can only be removed in one direction. The stepped surface prevents mold removal in both directions, as was possible with previous molds. Additionally, it may be desirable to cool the deposit to facilitate removal of the outer mold wall. [Rectangular near net shape]

[0079] The next section describes near-net forming a rectangular part 1700 using spray deposition techniques. The target shape is shown in Figure 17A. Creating sharp vertical angles with thermal spray can be difficult. Spraying directly onto a build plate without mold walls results in slanted or tapered edges of the spray volume. An example of a tapered edge 1702 is shown in Figure 17B.

[0080] To overcome the edge taper, a mold assembly or mold 1802 can be used, similar to the circular shape previously described. When dealing with parts with straight edges, there are two different approaches. The first is to use a separable multi-piece mold, and the second is to use a single-piece mold for each height, as previously described. This section describes a separable multi-piece mold assembly.

[0081] Referring to Figure 18, a rectangular mold assembly or mold 1802 having multiple removable mold walls is shown. The multi-piece mold 1802 has a single-piece build plate 1804. Low carbon steel is selected as the material for the build plate 1804. The mold walls 1806 are constructed of individual pieces for each side. Because the walls 1806 are not a continuous, monolithic structure, several different materials can be selected for the walls 1806. Typical choices are low carbon steel and aluminum.

[0082] Each wall 1806 is secured to the build plate 1804 using fixtures 1809 and tightened to the appropriate torque. Part movement during the deposition process can result in the final shape being the wrong size. Also, gaps between parts in the mold can result in material voids. Faces and edges must meet the same flatness and roundness controls described for near-net-shape discs.

[0083] After the mold 1802 components are properly secured, the assembly is grit blasted and mounted in a fixture. To properly deposit material in the corners, the particle beam is angled. This angle is the same as in the disk configuration. This angle can be achieved by moving the spray gun 101 or by moving the sample. Because the rectangular sample mold 1802 does not rotate, the tilting includes an additional dimension. The filling operation, temperature control, and sample cooling are the same or substantially the same as in the disk setup. Depending on the size and shape of the rectangular mold 1802, the compressed air cooling configuration used in the disk setup may be used with appropriate adjustments to provide temperature control.

[0084] Continuing with reference to Figure 19, after material deposition, the deposit is allowed to cool to room temperature and then the fixture 1809 can be removed. Because the deposit is not strongly adhered to the mold walls 1806, the walls 1806 can be easily removed from the build plate 1804. Removal of the fixture 1809 releases the compressive stress and the part easily slides off the deposit walls 1806.

[0085] The near-net-shape part remains adhered to the build plate 1804. For large rectangular parts, removing the build plate 1804 can be difficult. A combination of thermal cycling and mechanical force can be used to separate the two parts. The thermal expansion coefficients of the spray-deposited material and low-carbon steel are similar; therefore, thermal cycling does not necessarily result in immediate delamination.

[0086] It may be useful to cut the near-net-shape part 1700 from the build plate 1804. This can be done using electrical discharge machining (EDM), a diamond saw, or an abrasive cut-off wheel, as these techniques are most effective. Core-shell particles may contain ceramic materials that quickly wear out common cutting tools, such as high-speed steel or carbide. Additionally, the nature of spray-formed powders, such as those formed by thermal spraying, makes them difficult to process with high-speed cutting tools, which fracture rather than cut the material. [Extending the working example]

[0087] The teachings described in this example can be extended to other powders used in thermal spray processes and are not limited to core-shell materials. Furthermore, other deposition techniques can be used to deposit the powder, such as high-velocity oxygen-fuel (HVOF), cold spray, or plasma spray, which can be substituted for the high-velocity air-fuel (HVAF) process described above. The above method can be used to manufacture stator winding cores for hybrid field motors, as well as winding cores for transformers and wireless transmission devices that take advantage of three-dimensional magnetic flow. Furthermore, the methods and apparatus disclosed herein can be utilized to manufacture any part suitable for any suitable application.

[0088] According to one exemplary embodiment, a method for producing a part by spray forming includes: spraying the soft magnetic composite material from a nozzle into a mold; adjusting the position of the mold relative to the position of the nozzle to control deposition of the soft magnetic composite material into the mold; Includes: The adjusting is performed by mounting the mold on a stage such that the mold is movable relative to the nozzle and the spraying is controlled to provide a deposition of the soft magnetic composite material such that a near-net-shape part is formed.

[0089] The adjusting may include changing an angle at which the soft magnetic composite material is sprayed relative to the mold. The adjusting may include moving the mold linearly or rotationally. The method may include controlling a temperature of the soft magnetic composite material during spraying. The method may include cooling at least one of the sprayed soft magnetic composite material or the mold. The method may include removing the spray-formed part from the mold. The adjusting may include operating at least one motor, wherein the operating is controlled by at least one processor and at least one non-volatile memory, the non-volatile memory storing instructions configured, when executed by the processor, to cause the motor to move at least one of the nozzle and the mold.

[0090] According to another exemplary embodiment, a method for producing a part to near net shape by spray forming includes: Providing a system for spraying a soft magnetic material, the system having a nozzle; providing a mold to receive the sprayed soft magnetic material; spraying the soft magnetic composite material from the nozzle onto a beam spot within the mold; adjusting a position of the mold relative to the nozzle to control deposition of the composite material at the beam spot to form the part in near-net shape; removing the part from the mold; Includes:

[0091] The adjusting step may include moving the mold linearly or rotationally. The rotational speed of the mold and the linear speed of the mold may be combined so that the velocity of the beam spot during spraying of the soft magnetic composite material is a constant value with respect to distance per time. The particle impact rate and temperature are controlled by varying the distance between the beam spot and the nozzle. The adjusting step may include moving the nozzle to direct the soft magnetic composite material from the nozzle toward the beam spot. The adjusting step may include varying the angle at which the soft magnetic composite material is sprayed relative to the mold. Varying the angle may include spraying the soft magnetic composite material at a first angle on the wall of the mold and spraying the soft magnetic composite material at a second angle at the junction between the build plate and the wall of the mold. Spraying at the second angle may provide a junction radius smaller than the size of individual particles of the sprayed soft magnetic composite material. The method may also include controlling the temperature of the soft magnetic composite material during spraying. The method may include measuring a thickness of the soft magnetic composite material using a non-contact distance sensor. The method may include preheating the mold before starting material deposition to allow the mold material to expand. The nozzle may be used as a heat source for the preheating. The method may include cooling the mold. The cooling may be performed by blowing compressed air onto the mold from the nozzle. The cooling may be performed by blowing compressed air onto the mold from a secondary source. The cooling may be performed using an air knife and by controlling one or more of the size, pressure, and distance from one or more openings through which the compressed air is ejected. The mold material may have a higher coefficient of thermal expansion than the material to be spray formed. The surface of the mold may be prepared so that the adhesive strength with the part is lower than the strength of the part.Removing the part from the mold may include removing the build plate following removal of the mold walls. The surface hardness of the build plate material may be tailored to enable part removal, the tailoring being achieved through a combination of material selection and grit blasting the surface of the build plate. The method may include heating the soft composite material with the nozzle.

[0092] In another exemplary embodiment, a system for manufacturing a part comprises: At least one spray gun; a stage mounted proximate to the at least one spray gun; a mold attached to the stage; the mold is movable relative to the at least one spray gun and configured to receive a spray of powdered material from the at least one spray gun into the mold to deposit a layer of material to form the part to a near-net shape.

[0093] The at least one spray gun may be part of an HVAF system. The at least one spray gun, the stage, and the mold are coupled to an apparatus. The apparatus includes at least one processor and at least one non-volatile memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to control at least one movement of the mold relative to the spray gun. At least one of the at least one spray gun and the mold may be capable of movement about at least two independent axes. The mold may include a build plate and a wall coupled to the build plate. The wall defines an opening facing a surface of the build plate, and the opening, the wall, and the surface of the build plate define a cavity for receiving the spray of the material. The system may include a second mold concentrically coupled to the build plate to form a step shape in the molded part. The build plate and the wall may be fabricated from different materials, each having different thermal expansion coefficients, strength, and adhesion properties. The build plate may be fabricated from low carbon steel and the wall may be fabricated from aluminum. The system may further include a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of at least one of the soft magnetic material sprayed from the at least one spray gun and the mold. The system may include a coolant sole coupled to the mold.

[0094] According to another exemplary embodiment, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one non-volatile memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: spraying the soft magnetic composite material from a nozzle into a mold; adjusting the position of the mold relative to the position of the nozzle to control deposition of the soft magnetic composite material into the mold; The adjusting is performed by mounting the mold on a stage such that the mold is movable relative to the nozzle and the spraying is controlled to provide a deposition of the soft magnetic composite material such that a near-net-shape part is formed.

[0095] In another exemplary embodiment, a motor component includes a spray-formed disk having a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface, an edge between the first surface and the second surface, and a hole having a defined surface extending from the first surface to the second surface, the disk being formed in a near-net manufacturing process.

[0096] The hole may be rounded. The defining surface may include a stepped surface. The disk may be formed from a soft magnetic composite material having a region with a metallic inner portion and a ceramic outer portion. The metallic inner portion may be either a metal or an iron alloy, and the outer portion may be alumina. The disk may be a stator yoke. The disk may be an axial flux motor.

[0097] The features described herein may be provided in an apparatus. The features described herein may be provided in an assembly method for assembling an apparatus. The features described herein may be provided in a method of using an apparatus having the above features. The features described herein may be provided in control software embodied in memory and usable with a processor and capable of controlling the operation of the apparatus as described above.

[0098] It should also be understood that the above description is merely exemplary. Numerous variations and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, features from the various embodiments described above may be selectively combined to form new embodiments.

Claims

1. 1. A method for producing a part by spray forming, comprising: spraying the soft magnetic composite material from a nozzle into a mold; adjusting the position of the mold relative to the position of the nozzle to control deposition of the soft magnetic composite material into the mold; Including, The method wherein the adjusting is performed by mounting the mold on a stage such that the mold is movable relative to the nozzle and such that the spraying is controlled to provide a deposition of the soft magnetic composite material such that a near-net-shape part is formed.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adjusting comprises changing an angle at which the soft magnetic composite material is sprayed relative to the mold.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adjusting comprises moving the mold linearly or rotationally.

4. The method of claim 1 , including controlling the temperature of the soft magnetic composite material during spraying.

5. The method of claim 1 , comprising cooling at least one of the sprayed soft magnetic composite material or the mold.

6. The method of claim 1 including removing the spray formed part from the mold.

7. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting includes operating at least one motor, the operating being controlled by at least one processor and at least one non-volatile memory, the non-volatile memory storing instructions configured, when executed by the processor, to cause the motor to move at least one of the nozzle and the mold.

8. 1. A method for producing a part to near net shape by spray forming, comprising: Providing a system for spraying a soft magnetic material, the system having a nozzle; providing a mold to receive the sprayed soft magnetic material; spraying the soft magnetic composite material from the nozzle onto a beam spot within the mold; adjusting a position of the mold relative to the nozzle to control deposition of the composite material at the beam spot to form the part in near net shape; removing the part from the mold; A method comprising:

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the adjusting comprises moving the mold linearly or rotationally.

10. The rotational speed of the mold and the linear speed of the mold are combined so that the speed of the beam spot during spraying of the soft magnetic composite material is a constant value with respect to distance per time; Particle impact velocity and temperature are controlled by varying the distance between the beam spot and the nozzle.

10. The method of claim 9.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the adjusting comprises moving the nozzle to direct the soft magnetic composite material from the nozzle toward the beam spot.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the adjusting comprises changing an angle at which the soft magnetic composite material is sprayed relative to the mold.

13. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein varying the angle comprises spraying the soft magnetic composite material onto the mold wall at a first angle and spraying the soft magnetic composite material at a junction of the mold build plate and the wall at a second angle.

14. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein spraying at the second angle provides a bond radius that is smaller than the size of an individual particle of the sprayed soft magnetic composite material.

15. The method of claim 8 , including controlling the temperature of the soft magnetic composite material.

16. The method of claim 8 , comprising measuring the thickness of the soft magnetic composite material using a non-contact distance sensor.

17. The method of claim 8 , including preheating the mold before the start of material deposition to allow the mold material to expand.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the nozzle is used as a heat source for the preheating.

19. The method of claim 8 including cooling the mold.

20. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the cooling is performed by blowing compressed air from the nozzle onto the mold.

21. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the cooling is performed by blowing compressed air from a secondary source onto the mold.

22. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the cooling is performed using an air knife and by controlling one or more of the size, pressure, and distance from one or more openings through which the compressed air is ejected.

23. 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the mold material has a higher coefficient of thermal expansion than the spray-formed material.

24. 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the surface of the mold is prepared so that the adhesive strength with the part is lower than the strength of the part.

25. The method of claim 8 , wherein removing the part from the mold comprises removing a build plate followed by removing a mold wall.

26. 26. The method of claim 25, wherein the surface hardness of the build plate material is tailored to enable part removal, the tailoring being achieved through a combination of material selection and grit blasting the surface of the build plate.

27. The method of claim 8 , comprising heating the soft composite material with the nozzle.

28. 1. A system for manufacturing a part, comprising: at least one spray gun; a stage mounted proximate to the at least one spray gun; a mold attached to the stage; wherein the mold is movable relative to the at least one spray gun and is configured to receive a spray of powdered material from the at least one spray gun into the mold to deposit a layer of material to form the part to a near net shape.

29. 30. The system of claim 28, wherein the at least one spray gun is part of an HVAF system.

30. The at least one spray gun, the stage, and the mold are at least one processor; at least one non-volatile memory for storing instructions; 30. The system of claim 28, in cooperation with an apparatus comprising:

31. 30. The system of claim 28, wherein the at least one spray gun and / or the mold are movable about at least two independent axes.

32. 29. The system of claim 28, wherein the mold comprises a build plate and a wall mated to the build plate, the wall defining an opening opposite a surface of the build plate, the opening, the wall, and the surface of the build plate defining a cavity for receiving a spray of the material.

33. 33. The system of claim 32, further comprising a second mold concentrically mated with said molded part to form a step feature in the molded part.

34. 33. The system of claim 32, wherein the build plate and the wall are fabricated from different materials, each having different thermal expansion coefficients, strength, and adhesion properties.

35. 35. The system of claim 34, wherein the build plate is fabricated from low carbon steel and the wall is fabricated from aluminum.

36. 30. The system of claim 28, further comprising a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of at least one of the soft magnetic material sprayed from the at least one spray gun and the mold.

37. 30. The system of claim 28, comprising a coolant sole coupled to the mold.

38. 1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one non-volatile memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: spraying the soft magnetic composite material from a nozzle into a mold; adjusting the position of the mold relative to the position of the nozzle to control deposition of the soft magnetic composite material into the mold; and wherein the adjusting is performed by mounting the mold on a stage such that the mold is movable relative to the nozzle and such that the spraying is controlled to provide a deposition of the soft magnetic composite material such that a near-net-shape part is formed.

39. A motor component comprising a disk formed by spray forming, the disk having a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface, an edge between the first surface and the second surface, and a hole having a defined surface extending from the first surface to the second surface, the disk being formed by a near-net manufacturing process.

40. 40. The motor component of claim 39, wherein the holes are rounded.

41. The motor component of claim 39 , wherein the defining surface includes a stepped surface.

42. 40. The motor component of claim 39, wherein the disk is formed from a soft magnetic composite material having a region with a metallic inner portion and a ceramic outer portion.

43. 43. The motor component of claim 42, wherein the inner metallic portion is a metal or iron alloy and the outer metallic portion is alumina.

44. 40. The motor component of claim 39, wherein the disk is a stator yoke.

45. 40. The motor component of claim 39, wherein the disk is part of an axial flux motor.

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